World Cup team guide: Pakistan. Chaos as ever, but beware the ‘cornered tigers’

The temptation is to say Pakistan are unlikely to raise the World Cup. But they arrive in England as a collection of volatile talents with the capacity to deliver the unexpected. Just like in 1992.

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The temptation is to say Pakistan are unlikely to raise the World Cup … but then we remember the ambush of the cornered tigers.

Despite being stocked with freakish individual talent capable of striking like a sniper’s bullet at any time, Pakistan have only ever won one World Cup, in Australia in 1992.

In that tournament they were down and troubled early in the competition — so disorganised they accidentally left a player at the airport during their travels between cities — and renowned for wearing about four different varieties of the team kit at training.

They were the last team to qualify for the semi-finals and only got there because a game in which they were bowled out for 74 got rained out.

Imran Khan celebrates Pakistan's win in the 1992 World Cup final. MCG.

But they then produced a stunning surge to snatch the title after captain Imran Khan had urged them to “play like cornered tigers’’.

WORLD CUP TEAM GUIDES

INDIA: Kohli a better chaser than lemon after tequila

ENGLAND: Great expectations, but danger lurks

SOUTH AFRICA: Chokes ‘a dark mist that hangs over us’

NEW ZEALAND: Dark horses or genuine thoroughbreds?

Whether they can bare their claws with such dramatic effect again remains to be seen but no-one dares write off Pakistan who were beaten finalists the last time the Cup was played in England in 1999.

Think Pakistan cricket and you think chaos and instability but Mickey Arthur’s side, while not particularly classy or in pristine form, is admirably stable.

Eleven of the 15 players named in the provisional squad were part of the squad that won the Champions Trophy in England in 2017 and two of the additions, fast man Shaheen Afridi and batsman Imam-ul-Haq, had become obvious selections since.

There are no fast bowlers with the profile or record of Wasim Akram or Imran Khan but Shaheen and Hasan Ali are young and willing, as is 19-year-old Muhammad Hasnain, who has pushed the speedometer past 150kph and retained despite the experienced but out-of-form Mohammad Amir being included in the final party after missing out on the initial squad.

Pakistan are the No 1 Twenty20 side in the world and rated sixth in 50-over cricket in a world where the gap between the top 10 nations is as narrow as it has ever been.

But before leaving for a warm-up series in England which preceded the World Cup (which they lost 4-0) Pakistan managed just four wins in 22 matches against teams they will face at the World Cup.

One area of concern for Pakistan — in a tournament where 300-plus scores are expected to be commonplace — is the lack of a fence-clearing middle order power player in a team captained by keeper Sarfraz Ahmed.

Babar Azam is Pakistan’s stand out ODI batsman. His form will be vital to their chance of success.

“It is an area that is a worry, and I have to work incredibly hard with it or look to rectify that,” Arthur said of their one-paced top order.

Arthur has been a fine choice as Pakistan coach. With the team spending its life away from home after becoming the Never Land for visiting sides following the Lahore bomb blast in 2009, he is as much an amateur psychologist as a coach.

When fast bowler Amir told Arthur about the events which led him to spot fix a Test at Lord’s by bowling no-balls, the sadness of the story made Arthur shed a tear. But it is this sort of empathy that enables him to relate to a side of many different layers.

Pakistan players do not earn the mega-wages of their Australian rivals. Many would love to take their families on tour but cannot afford it.

Shoaib Malik retired from Test cricket in 2015 to concentrate on the 2019 ODI World Cup.

When Arthur took over as Pakistan coach in 2016 his one non-negotiable was an across-the-board increase in fitness, never a Pakistani strong point for players who thought a beep test was pushing your car horn.

“We’ve got the base in terms of our fitness,” Arthur said.

“All our players are at a level they need to be. For us now, the focus shifts onto skills and execution because we’ve done the hard work. Fitness doesn’t guarantee you success, but it guarantees you a better chance of recovery. ‘’

STRENGTH

Because their own country is a no go zone they have become accustomed to playing abroad. They won the ICC Champions Trophy in England two years ago and are the first rival team to arrive in England for the World Cup.

WEAKNESS

The lack of power hitters in a big scoring tournament could be telling and the general absence of world class players in a team which has just one player (seventh ranked batsman Babar Azam) in the world top 10 50 over rankings for batsmen and bowlers.

KEY PLAYER

Babar Azam

Batsman Azam’s meticulous stroke-play has been compared to Virat Kohli. With a 50 over average of better than 50 he is the man who will lead his side to victory or despair for he is the class act in a mediocre top order.

Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan is battling a bout of hepatitis to be fit for World Cup duty.

PREDICTION

Likely to finish just outside the top four due to the fact that in recent times they have struggled against the top nations.

FULL SQUAD

Sarfraz Ahmed (Capt), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Junaid Khan, Muhammad Hasnain.

FIXTURES

Friday, May 31: West Indies (Trent Bridge, 7,30pm)

Monday, June 3: England (Trent Bridge, 7,30pm)

Friday, June 7: Sri Lanka (Bristol, 7,30pm)

Wednesday, June 12: Australia (Taunton, 7,30pm)

Sunday, June 16: Pakistan (Old Trafford, 7,30pm)

Sunday, June 22: South Africa (Lord’s, 7,30pm)

Wednesday, June 26: New Zealand (Edgbaston, 7,30pm)

Saturday, June 29: Afghanistan (Headingley, 7,30pm)

Friday, July 5: Bangladesh (Lord’s, 7,30pm)

Originally published as World Cup team guide: Pakistan. Chaos as ever, but beware the ‘cornered tigers’